Greece international Kostas Manolas has indicated that he has no plans of leaving AS Roma this summer after extending his contract only in November. The 27-year-old has been with the Giallorossi since the summer of 2014 and last season was probably his best yet after helping the team reach the semi-final stage of the Champions League.

Speaking to Sport24, Manolas spoke about his extension with the Giallorossi which came just months after his scuppered move to Zenit St Petersburg, he said: “I realised that I was important for the club when it came time to renew my contract in November and I had a conversation with (directors Francesco) Totti and Monchi.

Prolific Serie A striker Gonzalo Higuain's future has been a major discussion point throughout the summer, with the frontman linked with a number of Europe's top clubs. The 30-year-old has opted to join the Rossoneri on an initial loan deal for around $18 million and he will be expected to hit the ground running at the San Siro.

He is joined by teammate Mattia Caldara, whilst veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci returns to the Bianconeri after just one season in Milan. Plenty is expected of Higuain this season after he fired 16 goals for the champions last year and he is likely to be the focal point of Gennaro Gattuso's side.

The representative of Jean-Michael Seri has revealed that his client is nowhere close to joining Napoli this summer. The Ivory Coast international has been heavily tipped to leave Nice during the summer transfer window but so far, no club has come forward to trigger the €40m release clause on his contract.

Speaking to Radio CRC, Seri’s agent refuted claims that the midfielder is close to joining Napoli and suggested that the Partenopei may sign Fabian Ruiz from Real Betis instead, he said: “Seri to Napoli? It doesn’t depend on us but on Napoli. I read that Napoli are signing Fabian Ruiz, so if they sign the Spaniard, it’ll be difficult to sign Seri too. We’re open to talks with Napoli, but there’s been nothing so far. Seri’s clause is 40m and it’s valid until July 15. After that, Nice can ask for the amount they want.”

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly believes his team have made good progress during the current campaign and they can offer a much better challenge for the Serie A crown next term. The Naples outfit were within a point off Juventus after Koulibaly scored in a 1-0 win over the Bianconeri but Maurizio Sarri’s side have since lost the plot.

Napoli midfielder Jorginho has opened the possibility of plying his trade for a Premier League club next season. The Italy international played the entire 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw against England at the Wembley Stadium, and shortly after the friendly, the midfielder was quizzed whether he would be able to adapt to top-flight football in England.

“I think that I could fit. It depends on who else is around me - I need players with the same characteristics that I have. There are English teams with this style of play, ball on the ground, quick transitions, high pressure. If one of those teams wanted me, I could fit and the other way round. My football way is not a usual one,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain was delighted to notch his first hat-trick for the Old Lady during Sunday's 7-0 thumping of Sassuolo in the Serie A. The 30-year-old has not had the best of times with the Serie A holders this term, and he managed to put in a clinical performance against relegation-threatened Sassuolo.

Juventus manager Max Allegri has confirmed that defender Giorgio Chiellini was suffering from muscular fatigue during the tail-end of the club’s goalless draw versus SPAL on Saturday. As a result, the 33-year-old has been deemed doubtful for Italy’s upcoming international friendlies against Argentina and England this month.

Speaking after the SPAL, Allegri confirmed the injury which saw Chiellini substituted nine minutes from time, he said: “Chiellini has muscular fatigue, but at the moment we don't have any more on that. It's only human that when you are top of the Serie A table, in the Champions League quarterfinals and the Coppa Italia final, you can miss a beat and lack energy once in a while."

With just three games to go in the Serie A season, Juventus look on course to lift yet another title and have a four-point lead going into the final games. With two winnable home fixtures, their trip to Roma may not count and the title really is theirs to lose based on what is left to come for them. Napoli have tried and pushed them hard, but unless we see a big shock in Italy, the 2018 Serie A title will be heading to Juventus.

Napoli had hopes of a title win just a couple of weeks ago, thanks to a dramatic 1-0 victory against Juventus. Napoli knew a win that day would put them back in the running, but left it until the last minute to score the vital winner. However, they were unable to build on that and lost their next game against Fiorentina, giving Juventus the advantage back. A big victory for the Old Lady over Inter Milan restored their four-point lead at the top of Serie A, and that is how we stand now with three league games to go.

Juventus left-back Alex Sandro has stressed that he is only focused on his job with the club despite the continuous speculation over his future. The Brazil international has been heavily tipped for a Premier League move over the past 12 months, and he has suggested that he could stay put with the Old Lady for the duration of his contract.

Max Allegri's side allowed an early two-goal lead slip on Tuesday night as they settled for a 2-2 draw versus Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League round of 16 first-leg, but Sandro remains optimistic that the club will get the job done in the return fixture at the Wembley Stadium, he said: "The draw against Tottenham was not a negative result: we played a great game and so did our opponents. In the Champions League, the games are always difficult and we have to go to London with the intention to win."

Former Chelsea and AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti has certainly ruled out the possibility of taking over at the Italian national team. Italy went through a horrendous World Cup qualifying campaign that led to the national team missing out on the place in the 2018 finals. It is the biggest disappointment for Italy in recent times and this quickly led to the departure of Giampiero Ventura. Since then, a number of names have been linked with the vacant managerial role at the Italy. The likes of Fabio Capello, Antonio Conte, and Massimiliano Allegri have been spoken of as potential replacements.

In the last couple of weeks, however, the biggest development happens to be the availability of Carlo Ancelotti, who has been sacked from Bayern Munich after a string of poor results. Ancelotti is one of the most successful Italian managers of recent generations. Apart from achieving a lot of success in Italy with AC Milan, he has also proved himself as one of the top managers in the world by winning titles in England, Spain, France, and Germany. He has coached the biggest clubs in the world like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG, Real Madrid, and AC Milan. Due to his availability, Ancelotti has been spoken of as a potential candidate, but the 58-year-old claims that he wants to be in club football for the time being.